Chief Minister Meade and Dr. Erica Gibbs, long standing MNT member turn the sod for museum building.
After years of planning and funding from the HMG Department for International Development (DFID) through an ongoing tourism development project, a museum will be erected at Little Bay.
The ground breaking ceremony to mark a start of construction of the new museum was held at relatively short notice at Little Bay, north of the Cultural Centre and east of the Little Bay cricket field.
The EC$1.5 million museum will be constructed by Alfred Dyett and Associates and I expected to be completed by February 2012 According to the chairman of a museum committee, “we are hoping to have the building ready in time for the St. Patrick’s Day celebration next year.
The building in general will comprise a main exhibition hall, a lecture room a gift shop, accommodation for staff and space for mountain special exhibitions as well as for the hosting of conferences and workshops.
Chief Minister Reuben T Meade
Chairman of the museum committee Alaric Taylor told ZJB news that they are hoping to have the building ready in time for the St. Patrick’s Day celebration next year, funding is provided by DFID through the tourism development project. In brief remarks, he said: “This is indeed a very historic occasion and we know that museums are an essential part of every single community; we know too that they were different types of museums.”
Several other officials gave brief remarks, including chairperson Mrs. Dulcie James, president of the National Trust (MNT) who is vested with the responsibility of the construction of the building, Lady Eudora Fergus, executive director of MNT, Dr. Erica Gibbs perhaps the longest standing member of the MNT gave background history of the MNT; the Hon. Chief Minister Meade and Owen Lewis who represented the government’s Project Implementation Unit.
Audience at the ceremony
In his remarks the Chief Minister told the appreciable gathering for the occasion, as he noted that the building is not the museum: “We already had some very significant inputs form the museum of London and we are anticipating that they will continue to provide the support so that by the time the museum building is finished we will move straight into putting a museum in place.”
He questioned the memory of some present of their knowledge the history of limes in Montserrat. “How many of us here know the history of lime in Montserrat and the significant of Montserrat lime to the world… the phrase limey that started out with Montserrat,” as he recounted also the days when Montserrat was exporting over a million pounds of sea island cotton.
a gift for the museum was presented by Parliamentarian David Osborne
“The museum will bring a lot of that to the fore. We’re therefore expecting that our history will be told through this museum, but the museum will only be one aspect of the history,” he said, hinting that within a few months, “we will also break ground for the visitor interpretation Centre…”
Fr. Carlisle Vychus, chairman of the Montserrat Christian Council delivered prayers to open the ceremony and invoked God’s blessings on the project and the ground.
Towards the end the ceremony Chief Minister and Dr. Gibbs turned the sod to officially mark the commencement of the project. That was followed by a vote of thanks by Lady Fergus, who previously had accepted a gift for the museum from Parliamentarian David Osborne. The gift was described by Justin ‘Hero’ Cassell as a lime funnel strainer.
